


Fool's Gold

by Saiyurimai



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Seduction, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-02-10 20:52:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12920019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saiyurimai/pseuds/Saiyurimai
Summary: Mira has always wondered about her mysterious family, so when she moved to Gravity Falls, Oregon in search for answers she finds herself caught in the sights of an enticing golden eyed man. Will she be able to survive the summer?





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place when all the characters are like legal adults and after the events of the original show. Let me know what you all think!

Heart pounding in my chest, feet pummeling the leaf strewn grass in perfect rhythm with every beat in my chest. Sweat beaded my brow, a cut on my lip stung as the salt from the sweat made contact but that would be nothing in comparison to what was coming behind me. Taking a glance behind me I could see that raging flames that consumed the forest, headed by the creature of my nightmares. A golden, top hat wearing pyramid with one eye focused entirely on my fleeing body.

"You humans are so funny. Even with no escape you still try to outrun your fate! Just come on and give up already!" I felt tears stinging my eyes, the outside of my vision was starting to turn black, my breath uneven and sharp in my chest. I couldn't give up! I had come too far and lost so much I just couldn't fathom laying down and giving up. But I knew my body couldn't take much more of this and I knew that the demon cackling behind me knew I was reaching my limits.

I pushed my body as fast as it could go, only to have the golden demon appear in front of me, catching me off guard as I lost my footing and fell backwards. "Nice try but there's no escaping me now! You will hand over the journals to me now! That was part of the deal!" The pyramid shifted his shape into a tall, golden cloaked man with a triangle patch over his right eye, black top hat sitting slightly off kilter on his golden locks.

He spun his black cane idly as he took a step towards me, the smoke of the flames stinging my eyes but of course he was unaffected. "Now if you please, the journals." He leaned down, face inches from mine, that stupid charming grin on his handsome face, the same one that had fooled me so many times before. It made me sick to my stomach. I should have listened to my cousins, my grandfather, I should never have listened to this golden self-proclaimed god. I flinched as he reached a long fingered, black gloved hand to caress my cheek.

"Oh look at you now. So scared, so hurt, lost and lonely. I was always attracted to that part of you Mira." He leaned closer, nose brushing against my cheek, both hands making their way to the nape of my neck as he took in my scent. "We could have been great together you know. I loved you then I love you still." He whispered into my ear and underneath all the terror I felt, something told me that he was telling the truth.

"I never wanted it to end this way I hope you know that. But I need this, I need these stupid journals. The plans are so close to being complete. I can't back down now." His hands were gentle as they ran down my back, his soft lips brushing against the skin of my neck causing a soft gasp to escape my lips without my permission.

"You are my poison Mira. Let me taste my destruction one more time." His lips made contact with mine, the cut on my lip protesting at the contact but the second his lips were on mine I didn't care. Tears streamed down my face as I gave into his kiss. It was sweet but filled with longing, a hunger I understood too well for it mirrored my own as well as a bittersweet feeling that I could also understand. I loved him but I was not so naïve as to forget every horrible thing he had done over the years and the last few months to my family.

I felt both of our hearts breaking through the kiss as we came to the realization that this would be the end. I could hear the forest burning all around us as he pulled me into his embrace, deepening the kiss, practically begging for the moment to never end through our connection. He broke the kiss, leaving me breathless and more hurt than ever before but he didn't move away. His thumbs stroked my tear stained cheeks, one eye focused on my face filled with warring emotions. I was surprised to see two tears glimmering in the flames on his face.

"I'm sorry Mira. So sorry." He whispered as I felt him grab the journals from the small pack I had been guarding with my life but now my body felt weak, heavy with exhaustion. I tried to reach out to him but it felt as if I was stuck in slow motion. "Bill!" I whispered as he turned away from me, the journals grasped to his chest tightly. In a second he was consumed by the smoke of the forest fire. I couldn't breathe, the smoke was too thick.

Tears flowed freely from my eyes and down my cheeks where moments before they were being caressed. I knew I needed to get up. I knew I needed to run. But I couldn't. It was over. I lay on the ground as the heat of the flames drew nearer and nearer to my body, consumed by my sense of failure. I had let them down.

Bill Cypher had won


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira travels to Gravity Falls for the first time, nervous and unsure of what will happen she wanders into the strange little town and checks into her hotel...

The sound of a bus engine woke me up from my slumber as I sat up on the bench I had slept on the night before. Rubbing my sleep crusted hazel eyes I yawned as I glanced around at my surroundings. I had been on the road for several days already and this was the last bus I needed to get on in order to get the answers I needed. "The bus for Gravity Falls will be leaving in ten minutes!" The guy in charge of the schedules called over the intercom even though I was the only one in the building. I gathered my back pack and my one suitcase, my bus pass and double checked my wallet to make sure I had plenty of money to get me by for a few months.

Satisfied with what I had I made my way to the bus that was waiting. I showed the driver my pass and he waved me on in. Taking a seat in the middle by a window I made myself comfortable. It was a two hour drive so I would have plenty of time to finalize my plans. I pulled out my notebook and gazed at the beaten yellow cover. I couldn't believe that I had gotten this far all on my own. I had saved every single dime that I had ever gotten in my whole life, all the money I had gotten for birthdays and holidays from my foster families and the little odd jobs I had done through the years just to get to this point.

I had made my way from St. Louis all the way to Gravity Falls Oregon. I opened the notebook and looked over the figures of all the money I had spent and gained over the years, each one carefully calculated and noted and all the way up to where I had done a search for my biological family. I had discovered that my parents had died in an accident many years ago and that had landed me in the system, my grandmother had also died many years ago due to illness but there was still my grandfather who was still alive and some cousins and their parents.

So I had packed up my bags, ran off on the next bus and headed to the last known address of my grandfather's in a little known town in Oregon. I didn't know what to expect when I got there but from my research on him I knew he was a bit of a criminal and a swindler so there wasn't much to expect I supposed. But as I traced the cursive lettering of his name I still hoped that I would be able to make some sort of connection with him at least even if it was short lived.

I just wanted to know a little more about the history of my family and maybe feel like I belonged somewhere. I had been a foster kid since I was a toddler and now as a seventeen year old teenager I was hoping that this trip would give me the answers I needed.

"Headed to Gravity Falls are you?" The driver spoke and I nodded as the sunlight trickled through the trees. "Lots of weird stuff happens there just to warn you. The people are all a little crazy if you ask me. Don't see why anyone would want to live there much less visit. Why are you going there?" She looked out into the scenery and smiled. "I'm looking for some relatives of mine." The bus driver smiled back. "Who are you looking for? I've been making my way to Gravity Falls and know just about everyone there. I might be able to point you in the right direction." I noticed that we were just about there so I gathered my things and made my way to the front of the bus.

"I'm looking for a guy named Stanford Pines. He's my grandfather. I heard he has some sort of shack on the outskirts of town." I couldn't really see most of the driver's face, his black hat and what looked like a fake beard covered just about every available space on his face but his sleeves were rolled up and I could see the outline of an eyeball tattooed on his forearm. "I know him. I drive the twins, Mabel and Dipper, his great niece and nephew here every summer. Didn't know that he had ever had kids of his own though." I shrugged and looked out towards the sign stating that they were within city limits.

"Well genetics don't lie. I traced it all the way back to him. So now I'm going to introduce myself to him, get to know the family. My family as it turns out." The driver pulled to a stop in town, pulling out a map from his jacket and handing it to me. "I hope it turns out the way you want it to. Here's a map to the shack he owns. Good luck." I gave him a nod of thanks and headed out towards the small diner, my bags in tow and a hunger in my stomach. Taking a seat in the diner I read through the menu and quickly decided on the pancakes with syrup.

"Hello." I was startled as a male dressed in a gold colored coat and black shirt and pants took a seat across from me. "Hi." I stated simply, my guard up and hesitant as to what exactly this guy wanted of me. I noticed he had an eye patch over one of his eyes, golden hair that almost sparkled when the sun hit it through the window. He was grinning at me charmingly.

"My name is Bill. I saw you sitting here all alone and noticed that you seem to be new around here so I thought I would stop in and introduce myself." He reached over the table with a black gloved hand for me to shake it, which I did even though I was still slightly confused as to his being here. "Mira. Nice to meet you. Why are you wearing gloves? It's summer time." Bill let out a soft chuckle and shrugged. "I'm a magician by trade so naturally I have to look the part. Did you notice my top hat?" Looked atop his head and noticed that he indeed have a top hat that was partially tilted to the side.

"I suppose you wouldn't be a magician without a top hat. What kind of magic do you do?" I asked and dug into my delicious pancakes that were slathered in maple syrup. "All kind of magic. Cards, sleight of hand, illusions are my specialty though." His lips curled into a sly grin.

"Very interesting. I'm sure you get all the girls giggling at your feet when you pull money out of their ears don't you?" I watched as Bill leaned forward on his elbows towards me, eyes hooded seductively at me. "Oh they giggle alright but if it makes you jealous I can stop doing it to other girls and just do it for you. I bet you have a wonderful laugh." A slight blush crossed my cheeks as I gulped down another bite of pancake. "Now that's a beautiful face right there." He looked at me with a soft smile which made me blush some more.

It was silent between the two of us, nothing but the usual sounds of the diner surrounding us. "Now Mira. What brings you to our little corner of the universe? A pretty thing like you shouldn't be in a small town like this." I watched him reach over and take a bite out of the remainder of my pancakes, licking his lips free of syrup. "I'm here looking for someone. Stanford Pines? I need to talk to him about a few things." Bill's eye widened a little at the mention of my grandfather's name but he quickly regained his composure.

"Well I know where he lives. After breakfast I could take you there if you'd like." He leaned back and spread his arms over the back of the booth. "I would like that but I have to check into the hotel first before I head over there. It would be kind of weird to go there with all of my bags, especially if he kicks me out."

I took a swig of orange juice and then I heard him chuckle. "Now I know where I've heard your name before! You're the reservation at my hotel!" I glanced at him with suspicion. "So you're a magician and a hotel owner? Sounds fishy." Bill lifted a brow and brushed his hand through his hair. "Well it's a small town and even as excellent magician as I am money is still tight. So I inherited my parent's hotel when they passed." I blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I lost mine when I was just a kid." Bill nodded and stood, holding out his gloved hand for me to grab onto it. "And I'm sorry for your loss. Now, do you want to get checked in?" He smiled down at me as I grabbed his hand in mine, the feeling of silk gloves wrapping my skin gently as his long fingers closed over mine. "But I haven't paid yet." I stated weakly as my hazel eyes followed all of his graceful movements.

"Don't worry about it. I paid for you the moment you sat down." The blush returned to my cheeks but luckily my long dark brown hair covered much of it as Bill guided me outside to a black car with gold trim, a triangular hood ornament gleaming in the light. He held open the door for me and took my bags, placing them in the trunk of his immaculate vehicle.

"How old are you Bill?" I asked as we drove, rock on the radio of the car with the volume on low. "Oh I'm ancient can't you tell?" He glanced over at me with a grin on his handsome face. "Nineteen. I'm nineteen." I felt a little better about being in the car with someone around my age even though I should never have gotten into a car with a complete stranger in the first place. "Cool." I replied awkwardly. I watched as we pulled up to a small hotel, pretty ordinary compared to what Bill seemed to be into I thought. Getting out of the car he once again grabbed my things and led me to the nearest door which had a number one in what looked like a triangle.

"And what's this behind your ear? Could it be?" His gloved hand reached behind my ear and pulled out a key with a triangle on one end, the number one engraved into it and placed it into the lock on the door. "It looks like it is your key, hiding right there behind your ear." He whispered as he unlocked the room and opened the door, holding it open for me to enter.

It was dark inside the room as I brushed past Bill, I stumbled on what was probably the rug and almost fell if not for Bill grabbing me and pressing me up against the wall. "Be careful. I forgot about the rug there. Are you alright?" I could feel Bill's face hovering right beside my ear, his body pressed against mine in the darkness, the only light coming from the doorway. "I'm fine. Thank you." I whispered softly, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure Bill could hear it thudding against my rib cage. "You're more than welcome Mira." He whispered into my ear, his breath rushing over my skin.

"Let me turn on the light." He moved his gloved hands over the wall but didn't move away from me until a soft white light with a tint of blue to it lit up our position. I stifled a gasp as the light hit his eye which was focused solely upon my face, close enough for us to share a kiss but he pulled away, releasing me from his spell. "Here you go. It's got a little kitchenette, a living room with cable T.V, a full bathroom and bedroom. You have everything you need to feel like home." Bill leaned against the nearest wall as I placed my things into the bedroom. It was nicely decorated, hints of gold and blue all over the place.

"Alright now that I've put my things here I think it's time to go see Mr. Pines." I walked around Bill who was quiet, avoiding eye contact as much as I was. "Yes. Let's. But I do have to warn you, if any of the Pines see me then there is absolutely no way that they will agree to speak with you. We don't exactly get along these days ever since my parent's passed away. They don't really like me all that much. So if you need someone to pick you up just shoot me a text, here put your number in my phone." He reached into one of his pockets and handed her a gold smartphone.

I did as he asked without question. He technically the only person who seemed nice enough to drive me around until I was able to buy my own car. "Thank you for all your help. You've been so nice to me. I don't know how I can repay you." I smiled politely and handed him back his phone which he tucked back into his coat. "I'm sure we can make a deal of some sort tomorrow. Just text me when you're ready to leave and I'll be right there." He put the car in park and I got out, standing on the gravel and mud road that lead to where I would find my answers.

A ding sounded in my pocket, a text message. "That's my number. Later cutie." I waved awkwardly as Bill backed out of the drive, leaving me to walk the rest of the way alone. Taking out my phone I looked at the text message and found myself smiling. "Hate to see you go but love to see you leave." It said with a triangle signature at the end of the script.

I put my phone away, took a deep breath and headed towards the shack at the end of the road


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira meets her long lost family

I didn't know exactly what to expect but I certainly didn't expect a run of the mill Mystery Shack probably filled with all kinds of fake "mysterious" animals put together with glue and glitter. Walking up there were a few tourists taking pictures outside and several picnic tables all around. Walking into the gift shop entrance she was met with a tall brown haired teenaged girl about her age standing behind the sales counter while a boy who looked similar to her but wearing a beat up cap with a pine tree on the front was going through inventory.

"Hi there! Welcome to the Mystery Shack!" The girl behind the counter smiled brightly at me. "Hello. My name is Mira. I'm looking for Stanford Pines. Is he around?" I held my breath as the teens looked at one another with a look that I didn't understand before answering me. "Yeah hold on let me go get him for you." The boy smiled and went off to look for the man I had asked for. "I'm Mabel that was my brother Dipper. Stanford Pines is our great uncle. How do you know him? If he owes you money I can pretty much tell you right now you are not going to see it anytime soon."

The girl, Mabel, leaned over the counter with a friendly face. "I actually haven't really met him yet. I just have something for him I guess you could call it a surprise." I looked down suddenly feeling shy and more nervous than I had ever felt before in my life.

"I told you I don't know anyone named Mira!" A grumbly voice echoed through a door as a tall, grizzly looking older man came into view. He was dressed in black and wore a fedora on the top of his grey haired head. "What do you want? I'm a very busy businessman. Either buy something or get out!" I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders for the next words that would come out of my mouth.

"Hello, my name is Mira. Mira Pines. I am your granddaughter." The old man looked confused for a second before a bellow of laughter came out of his mouth. "That's ridiculous! I never had any kids! You're barking up the wrong tree! Now scram!" I felt my heart drop down to my knees and I fought back tears. "Wait! Please! I really am your granddaughter I swear! I had genetic testing done and everything! My father was your son and he and my mom died when I was little and I have spent my whole life in the system and trying to find out more about my family! Please!" The tears welled up in my hazel eyes without my permission, but I fought to keep them from falling.

The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. "I saved up every penny I had in order to make it to this point. Please don't send me away." I begged, staring at Stanford and pleading with my eyes. It was quiet for a moment before his eyes softened a little bit looking at me. "Shut down the shack kids. Send everyone home. You, follow me." I felt hope creep up into my chest as I followed Stanford into the house and into the kitchen where he motioned for me to take a seat at the table. "Want something to drink?" He offered and I suddenly felt parched. "Some water is fine thank you."

I spoke softly, unsure as to what was going to happen and why he would deny me and then turn around and invite me in. A few minutes later I watched as Mabel and Dipper came into the kitchen and took their seats around me. "Listen kid. I don't have any kids, I never had any and never really wanted to have any to begin with. So I'm not the one you're looking for. I'm sorry." I felt my heart sink again and I got up to leave only to be stopped by his hand on top of mine. "Can you keep a secret kid?" I looked at him and my cousins, all of their eyes were focused on mine. "Of course I can keep a secret. What's all this have to do with anything? If you aren't my grandfather then why am I still here? I clearly screwed up again." I sat back down in my chair, water forgotten.

"Because even though I'm not the one you're looking for I think I know who it is. You know how twins skip a generation?" I nodded, unsure as to what that was supposed to mean. "Yeah? My twin died in the womb. Again what are you getting at here?" I waited patiently for them to explain only to hear a set of footsteps coming towards the kitchen. "Stan? What's the emergency? Why'd you close the shop early?" An identical version of Stanford entered through the kitchen door, his eyes focusing on me almost immediately through square glasses.

"I don't understand? I read that your brother had died in an accident years ago. How can there be two of you?" The other Stanford stood there like a deer caught in headlights as I felt my head about to burst with unanswered questions. "Well actually I faked my death and took my brother's name after a series of complicated and very confusing events where he went missing for a while. My name is Stanley. This is your grandfather Stanford. Stanford, meet your granddaughter, Mira." The room was silent as the two of us tried to digest this new information. We just stared at one another for several minutes, both confused and unsure as to what to do.

"How is this possible? I don't know you I'm so sorry." Stanford, the real one it turns out, held out his hands in apology. Instantly I noticed that he had six fingers on both hands. "My grandmother said that she met you in college, on some trip, said that you met, fell in love but then you decided to further your studies elsewhere and leave her behind. Several months after that my father was born, he married my mother and then had me. Both of my parents died when I was really young, and they couldn't find any close relatives willing to take me in so I got sent into foster care where until a few months ago I was staying and trying to find my real family. I can prove it."

I reached down and slipped off my flats, exposing the six toes on each foot. "It's a really rare genetic mutation and its passed down through the paternal side of genetics." I waited for him to respond, to do anything but stand there looking at me with so many mixed emotions that I couldn't name.

"I'm sorry. I should go." I finally said as I put my shoes back on and made to leave only to be once again be stopped, this time by a six fingered hand on my shoulder. "No, I'm sorry. Please stay and tell me about yourself. I believe you and clearly the rest of my family does as well otherwise they wouldn't have let you meet me in the first place." I felt my heart finally relax in my chest for the first time since I got out of Bill's car as my grandfather led me into the living room to sit on the couch. "How old are you Mira? Are you in school?"

Stanford asked while everyone else filed in around us. "I'm seventeen. I graduated high school last year and I haven't decided where or if I want to go to college yet. But I have multiple offers from places that would like to have me go. I just kind of thought that I should try to find out more of where I came from. So I saved all the money I had and tracked you down. I came into town from St. Louis where I spent most of my life growing up in different foster homes. I have a picture of my dad if you want to see it?"

Stanford nodded slowly as I pulled out my wallet where I had a photo of my mom and dad at the hospital the day I was born and I handed it over. He stared at it for a moment with tears almost starting to well up in his eyes. "How young were you when they passed away? Do you remember them at all?" Mabel asked when it seemed as though Stanford was too involved in looking over the photo. "I was about four years old so I don't remember too much of them but I have photos and my dad's journal. So I can bring that over sometime if you'd like. I've read through it a hundred times, I could probably recite it back to you verbatim if I tried."

Stanford looked up from the photo finally, a quick swipe of the back of his hand wiped away the tears in his eyes. "He wrote a journal? Guess that must be a family trait." He gave a soft chuckle and handed the photo over to his twin brother Stanley to look at. "I would love to have a look at it if you wouldn't mind. I can't believe after all this time, it hadn't even thought that I even had a child out there running around. Much less a granddaughter. You graduated high school at sixteen you say? You must be pretty smart. What is your favorite subject to study?"

I couldn't believe that I was even sitting here with a family I never thought I would find. "I like science mostly. But I'm really good at math and art." After several hours of getting to know the rest of the Pine squad I decided to call it a day and made plans for us to hang out the next day. As I stood just inside the doorway I received hugs from Mabel, Dipper and Stanley before Stanford came and stood in front of me with a look of sadness.

"I'm so glad you came to find me Mira. I wish I could have been there for your father but he looked so happy holding you there in his arms. I think he turned out alright and so did you." I smiled and allowed him to wrap his arms around my shoulders, pulling me tightly in a comforting hug. "I'll see you tomorrow Pops. I mean if that's ok to call you that?" Stanford thought about it for a moment before smiling and shrugging. "It works. I'll see you tomorrow kiddo. Be safe getting back to town. Are you sure you don't need a ride?" I shook my head. "I'll be fine. I've got a ride waiting for me."

I waved good bye and walked back down the darkening drive and texted Bill that I was ready to be picked up if he was available to which he responded with "Be there in a jiffy." Again with the triangle signature. By the time I got to the end of the drive there he was just pulling up. When I got into the car he grinned at me. "So? How'd it go? I can guess that you didn't get thrown out since it's almost dinner time." I smiled back at him and was practically beaming through the pores on my face.

"It went great! I got to meet him and Mabel and Dipper and it was so nice to get to know all of them and on top of that we made plans for tomorrow but don't worry you don't have to drive me. They offered to pick me up." I leaned back in my seat and stared up at the ceiling only to realize that he had a moon roof in the top of his car, showing me the fading sunlight. "I'm glad. Although driving you around isn't a problem for me. I don't mind it, gives me something nice to look at."

I blushed at the compliment. "Is this how you normally are? Acting smooth just to get a girl to like you? As if your looks weren't good enough you just have to be smooth along with it." Bill pulled into the parking lot in front of my hotel room and glanced over at me with a charming grin. "Oh? You think I'm good looking?" I looked out the corner of my eye at him, trying not to make a big fool of myself in front of him.

"Well yeah I mean look at you. You've got golden lock, a mysterious eye patch, you're tall and handsome and charming and you've got some serious fashion sense. Although I don't understand the whole triangle thing you've got going on." I realized that I had said too much and tried to hide my face from Bill, the beet red blush creeping on my cheeks would betray me.

I heard a soft chuckle beside me and then the sound of fabric moving closer to me, a gloved hand reaching to gently grasp the tip of my chin, bringing my face back around so he could see it. "There you go, no reason to hide that pretty face of yours. All flushed like that. It's adorable." His thumb grazed the skin of chin and I had to fight the urge to simply melt in his fingertips. There was something so dangerously alluring about him that I couldn't escape it. "How about you have dinner with me? You look…famished." I nodded in agreement before I had even realized what I was agreeing to. "Good. My treat." He released my chin, breaking the contact with my skin as well as the strange magnetism flowing off of him.

 


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira has dinner and dessert....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for lemony goodness below ;)

He came over to my side of the car and opened the door for me, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the only door without a number, the one right beside mine that I hadn't noticed before. But this one had a triangle with a top hat like the one Bill normally wore where the number would be, the peep hole looking almost like an eye in the center of the golden little triangle. "This is where I live so if you have any problems with anything I'm just a knock away." He held my hand and opened the door with his other one, seemingly without a key of any kind unless it was unlocked.

"Please, do come in. Make yourself at home." He guided me into the entrance where I was met with dark beautiful hardwood floors, sandy golden walls with black and gold wall sconces. The room lit up with the same strange slightly bluish light that was in my room as he turned on the lights. The entryway opened up to a large living room that had the same hardwood throughout, several black and gold pieces of furniture, a golden rug here, a black and gold one there.

A large plasma screen television graced one wall with several pictures of the Egyptian pyramids on either side. There were also several pyramid shaped objects strewn throughout the room. Turning to my right there was a decent sized kitchen with all modern hardware as well as the first splash of a different color other than gold, stainless steel appliances, all the latest in cooking essentials, black granite with flecks of gold in it on the counter tops, cabinetry that matched the dark floors with gold triangular pulls on all the doors. "You sure enjoy the black and gold scheme don't you? And apparently triangles."

Beside me Bill gave a soft laugh and guided me deeper into the living room. "How does Chinese sound? I've been craving some Chinese." I nodded and sat down on the couch at his gentle touch, watching as his long body gracefully seated itself beside me, lengthy legs crossed at the knee, one arm reached out behind her on the back of the couch.

"Would you like something to drink? I've got some wine?" He lifted a suggestive brow towards me and I shook my head. "I'm not of age and if I remember correctly neither are you!" Bill leaned in close to me. "Oh come on darling dear. Neither of us are going to get into trouble. We don't have any parents around to tell us no. Besides, one glass wouldn't hurt now would it? I promise to get you home safe and sound next door." I thought about it for a moment. He was right. It wasn't like I had parents, legally I was pretty much able to do just about anything I wanted since I was no longer in the foster system and I was not under anyone's authority anymore. Also I did have a room right next door so I wasn't going to be driving anywhere at all. And one glass wasn't going to get me intoxicated.

"Sure. I guess one glass couldn't hurt." Bill smirked and moved away from me to head into the kitchen, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of red wine from his chiller in the fridge. "There you go. You earned this. You traveled all the way out here, met with your long lost relatives and told me to my face that I was one good looking guy. So a toast. To you Mira Pines." He poured out the wine expertly into the glasses and raised them in a toast to her.

With a clink of glass I raised my glass to my lips and took my first sip, and boy was it delicious. "Is this what alcohol tastes like? This is so smooth and yummy!" Bill smiled and took a sip from his glass, sitting close to her on the couch, our bodies almost touching. "I take it this is your first drink? Not all alcohol tastes like this. This is the good stuff." He took another sip at the same time I did, his one eye watching my movements carefully.

"Well I like it. Thank you again for being so gracious. You've been pretty awesome about helping me feel welcomed today." I relaxed into the comfortable couch and gazed into my glass of red liquid with a soft smile on my face. "Glad to be of service." I took off my flats only to hesitate and attempt to put them back to no avail. "You've got twelve toes?" Bill said as he took another sip. "Yeah. It's a genetic thing. My grandfather had twelve fingers." I did a second attempt to put them away but Bill kicked my shoes out of reach.

"That's pretty cool. Makes you unique. Special. I like that." He stood suddenly at a knock on the door which made me jump slightly in response. "Chinese." He stated simply as he went to the front door, leaving me to sip my wine for a couple minutes even though I don't remember him ever ordering the food.

When he came back he motioned for me to sit on the floor across from him at his coffee table which was glass and roughly resembled a triangle in a way. I sat and made myself comfortable on the golden rug underneath, watching as he set out the food in front of me and himself carefully. For the first time I watched him take his black gloves off, as well as the golden cloak, revealing the pristine white short sleeved button up underneath as well as a black bow tie that I hadn't noticed before. He proceeded to remove the bow tie and place it next to him where his cloak and gloves lay before glancing up at me with a strange look I couldn't decipher.

"Dig in. This stuff is delicious." We ate in relative silence, each of us focusing on our wine and dinner. I looked up when I was done and watched as he wiped his mouth, stood and waved his hand in front of the wall, a second later music came through invisible speakers. The song lyrics from a song I recognized as being called Just Gold, it was kind of a robotic carnival rock song came through.

"Dance with me." I looked up at the exposed long fingered hand, placed my hand in his and felt my body move of its own accord, moving closer to his embrace. I felt as though I was watching our dancing from somewhere outside my own body. We moved quickly through the steps, Bill leading me through each segment as if I was a puppet on strings, bending to his will. His eye was hooded, staring deep into my soul as we danced. He turned me so my back was pressed tightly against his chest, long fingers trailed down my arms, grazing my sides, down to my hips as his face moved next to mine from behind. I could feel his warm breath graze across my skin on my neck.

"You may say that I'm breaking your mind. In my opinion you're much too kind." He whispered in time to the music. "You are the main attraction, your story must be told, you are a chain reaction that never gets old." I could feel my body giving into him as the song ended and turned into a song called Trust me, it was from a musical called the devil's carnival. The song was dark and slower, more seductive sounding. I could feel his lips mouthing the words, trust me, over and over again on my neck along with the lyrics.

My eyes closed of their own accord at the fluttering touch, his hands roaming over my sides. Suddenly he turned me to face him, our bodies pressed so close to one another that there wasn't any room for air between us. Bill rested one of his hands on the small of my back while the other splayed his fingers across my cheek, thumb running over my lips. I was entranced, mesmerized by Bill.

"Trust me," he whispered, removed his thumb, his lips pressed gently over mine. I didn't move at first but then I relaxed, giving in to the kiss, my hands resting lightly on his chest as the music played in the distance. I felt his hand move from my cheek to tangle in the nape of my neck, pulling me deeper into the kiss as his tongue begged entrance.

I relinquished all control to him. Bill kissed me with a sense of hunger that I didn't quite understand but still relished in it as I kissed him back. The kiss seemed to last a hundred years as he took control of my body, moving us to the couch, my back making contact with the cushions, the kiss never breaking as Bill moved atop me, one hand at my hip, the other intertwining our fingers together above my head. I felt my heart about ready to burst right out of my chest as Bill's fingers graze the skin of my stomach, my legs on either side of his body.

Finally he broke the kiss, his lips leaving a trail of sensual kisses from my chin, down my neck as I let out a soft gasp, my body arching to keep as much contact with his as possible. His fingers moved under my shirt, exploring my skin over my stomach and upwards, moving around to my back, drawing me nearer to him. "Bill." I whispered with a hint of a moan without thinking, instantly making my cheeks flush with embarrassment. My skin felt as if it was on fire, burning just under the surface and Bill was the cool water that would sate the flames. "Mira. My mirror. My poison." He whispered against my skin, a grin on his lips. I wasn't sure what he meant but I didn't care I just wanted more.

Bill grabbed one of my hands and moved it to his shirt. "Unbutton it." He commanded and I obeyed. Shakily, clumsily I did as I was told, while he proceeded to kiss, suckle and nibble on my neck, distracting me as I attempted to finish unbuttoning his white shirt. Finally his chest was free, and my fingers greedily explored the finely sculpted skin. He was more muscular than I thought he would have been given how thin he was but I was pleasantly surprised by the Adonis like chest.

"Do you want more Mira?" Bill moved, hitching my leg over his hip, my stomach exposed and pressed against his, our breathing was heavy and I wanted more. I needed more. "Yes." I breathed as Bill pressed his lips to mine again, persistent and hungry. "Oh Mira, my poison, you'll be the end of me at this rate." He whispered as he lifted me to sitting on his lap, his hands lifting my shirt over my head, exposing my chest. I watched him shoulder his way out of his shirt, his lips exploring every inch of my exposed skin while his hands ran the length of my back, fingertips toying with the clips of my bra.

"Mira. Please be mine." Bill pulled my face to his kissing me deeply so much so that it made my head spin. He pulled away and pressed our foreheads together, his eye looking deeply into mine, full of heat and passion and wanting. "I don't know. We only met today. I'm not saying no but." He cut me off with another head spinning kiss, forceful and starving. "Then I'll ask every day until you say yes." I was about to protest but he silenced me with another kiss, a swift flick of his wrist and my straps were undone, my chest fully exposed to his roaming lips and hands. Without breaking contact Bill lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist easily, standing all at once and walking out of the living room towards a darkened hallway.

Halfway down he paused and pressed me tight against the wall, our bare chests tight against one another. "You are the most delectable toxin." He murmured as he pressed our groins together, tantalizing me and sending chills up my spine. I could feel his shaft yearning for release against my core. "None have ever been allowed into my inner sanctum. You will be the first and the last my delicious venom." I groaned as he moved against my core, causing a wonderful sensation. I heard a door open and I was bathed in a soft blue light, catching glimpses of the room as Bill lay me down on his silky black sheets. It was darker and there were more blues with only small glints of gold accents.

I lay on my back as Bill left a trail of hungry kisses down my chest, over my stomach and just above my pant line where he made short work of undoing my jeans, slowly pulling them along with my underwear down over my knees, my ankles until a soft thump of cloth landing on the floor and a soft sigh of appreciation coming from Bill's lips. A second later I heard a second thump of cloth, the music from the living room still able to be heard in his bedroom. He ran his fingers along the inside of my legs, his body moving along with them as they moved up and over my thighs. I gasped, eyes shooting open as I felt a lick grace my exposed core. A soft chuckle came from between my legs as another lick elicited a moan from my lips. He was slow, but left nothing untouched as I writhed under his ruthless tongue making me pant and moan, back arching and my chest heaving.

"Bill!" I moaned loudly as a spring that had been coiling in my loins suddenly released. He took a long lick before wiping the edge of his mouth, crawling on top of my shaking body, grabbing my hands and holding them over my head as he positioned himself over my entrance. I let out a moan as he slid inside of me, stretching and filling me up as far as he could. I could feel the base of what felt like a condom which somewhere inside my mind caused me more relief. "Mira, my poison, you are my destruction." He mumbled softly as he started to move inside of me, a soft groan of pleasure escaping his lips, my own lips moaning as he thrust within.

We moved in perfect synchronization with one another, writhing and thrusting together in a haze of ecstasy that I had never known before. Bill caressed me, held me, and grasped at me as though I was his lifeline, much like he was mine it seemed. We tossed, turned, but never once let go of one another, not even air could get between us.

Finally Bill lifted us to sitting position, my legs straddling him and my arms wrapped around his neck while his long fingers held tightly to my lower back. I could feel the spring in my core tightening, preparing to release the tension, my moans turned to gasps of me calling Bill's name over and over again. I glanced down through my lashes at Bill who I could tell was nearing his own climax as he tightened his grip around me with one hand wrapped around my waist, the other grabbing my chin and pulling our faces together.

"You are my destruction Mira. You are mine." He spoke possessively, thrusting deep into my center causing me to cry out loudly as he released the coil in that final thrust, a flash of gold caught my eye as it seemed to reflect out of his eye just before he closed it and released himself into me. He kissed me deeply and slowly lay us down on the sheets once more, still inside of me as we came down from our high together.

Finally he removed himself from me, leaving me feeling almost empty until he pulled me to him again tightly with a satisfied sigh on his lips. We stayed there like that for what felt like an eternity, just listening to one another breathe, the racing hearts that slowly calmed down to a normal rhythm brought us back down from our high to rest comfortably on his silky black sheets.

"We should do dinner every night." Bill chuckled and kissed the top of my head gently. "I agree. Hey Bill?" I moved so that I could look him in the eye. "Why do you keep saying that I'm you're destruction? Or calling me your poison? What does that mean?" Bill rolled over on his back with a soft sigh as I sat up, leaning on one elbow watching him.

"Ever since I saw you step off that bus and walk into the diner I just couldn't get you out of my system like a poison. You consume me." I blushed slightly as he reached up and brushed some of my hair back behind my ear. "I've never met someone who could make me burn like you've made me burn on the inside." He sat up and looked at me with a grin. "You're the only one who has ever made it in here. Actually you're my first." I looked at him with shock. "Wait. What? You're a virgin?" Bill leaned in and kissed my nose.

"Not anymore I'm not." I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "But you seemed so experienced? I've only had sex once and it was not anything like that." Bill kissed my cheek and grabbed my hand, playing with my fingers. "I just must be that good. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did." I watched as we intertwined our fingers over and over again.

"I did. It was very fun." We sat there quietly for a while, his one eye roaming over my figure. "So now what do we do? I'm not really sure what the protocol for this situation is. Do I leave or do I stick around?" I asked, blushing at the smile that graced his face. "Oh and miss the golden opportunity to see you sleeping? Come here. Tonight, you're all mine." I curled up next to him as he pulled the blankets all around us, holding me close, possessively. "Good night my poison." I yawned and as exhaustion suddenly hit me out of nowhere. "Good night Bill."


	5. Chapter Four

The next morning I awoke alone in Bill's large bed, bundled in his silk blankets. Looking around I could see that the door was opened a crack and I heard the sound of pans being moved around followed by the smell of breakfast. I got up and grabbed the robe that was laid out next to me, the soft velvety embrace smelling of Bill, walking out of the bedroom I grabbed my clothes from the foot of the bed, putting on my underwear in the process before heading towards the kitchen where I saw Bill leaning up against the counter, one eye staring into the distance.

There was a slight frown on his face and he seemed to be mouthing something under his breath. "Dangerous…not according to plan…poisonous to us…to you…really like her…kill…no…won't do it…shut up…go away…" I knocked on the wall, startling Bill, his eye flashing gold for a split second again like it had the night before only to have it go back to normal. "Good morning little sleepy head. Sorry if I woke you. I thought it would be nice to serve breakfast for you." He motioned for me to take a seat at the bar where there were two plates with a couple pancakes, bacon and eggs.

"Thank you. It looks awesome." I sat down and he poured some orange juice into our glasses and took a seat next to me. "Did you sleep alright?" He asked between bites and I nodded. "Like a baby." I smiled, trying to put what I had just seen out of my mind. Maybe I wasn't hearing things right. We finished breakfast and I stood up to grab my other things that were folded neatly on the edge of the couch.

"Going somewhere darling dear?" Bill asked watching me. "Well I am in sore need of a shower and I haven't unpacked or anything. Plus I have Dipper and Mabel coming to pick me up this afternoon so regretfully I must return to my own room for a while." I smiled over my shoulder so he didn't think I was being ungrateful. He stood and kissed my cheek. "Well then I suppose I can't keep you here forever now can I? Such a shame." He twirled a lock of my brown hair between his fingers idly as I stared up at him, unsure what to say.

"Let me know if you want to hang out after you get done with your cousins tonight. Now get going before I change my mind about letting you go." He leaned down, our lips locking sweetly even though I could tell he wanted more as he gave my rear end a pat, following me out the door and watching as I entered my room.

I leaned heavily against the door once I was safely inside my own room. It felt as if this was the first time I had managed to get my breath of fresh air. Bill was a whirlwind that was for sure. Taking a deep breath I made my way into the bathroom and took a quick shower before getting dressed and starting to work on putting my things away into the drawers with my phone on the charger. Luckily Bill was being relatively quiet, giving me some space to relax without him.

I sat on the couch and turned on the television as I finished putting my things away, my dad's journal as well as some photos and random things that had belonged to my parents so that Stanford could take a look at them. There wasn't much on in Gravity Falls but it was a good way to pass the time. All of a sudden I got a ping on my cell phone.

" **Hiya! It's a Mabel texting you to let you know that me and Dipper are headed your way! So get your pants on and lets partay**!" I smiled at the several sets of smiling emojiis that were following her message. I checked my hair and decided to wait for them outside. I locked up behind me and went to stand out in the sunlight. It wasn't long before I noticed Bill coming outside with a bag of trash in his hand. "Looking good there darling." He wriggled his eyebrow at me and walked around the corner to put his trash in the garbage can before coming to stand in front of me, placing a hand above my head on the wall I was leaning against. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.

"So will you be mine Mira?" I rolled my eyes a little and smiled up at him. "Persistent aren't you? Ask me once you know me a little better and then we will see. I only just came to town yesterday in case you don't remember. Speaking of, I still need to pay you for the room." I went to reach for my wallet when my hand was trapped by his gloved fingers. "Don't worry about it. It's on the house for as long as you need it." I looked at him with confusion.

"I couldn't do that! That wouldn't be fair to you!" Bill leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Then how about this. We can make a little deal. You come over for dinner whenever you're not with your family and help me do the housekeeping in the other rooms here and you can stay here rent free." He extended his gloved hand for me to shake it.

"Do we have a deal?" I hesitated for a moment, going over the pros and cons of such a deal. Certainly I would enjoy not having to spend my money on a hotel, also spending time with Bill with a free dinner wouldn't be so bad would it? I did like him a lot already and he was already swaying me to be willing enough to be called his.

"We've got a deal." I reached and grasped his hand, a smile gracing his lips. "Good. Now let's really seal the deal." He pulled me into him, grabbed my chin and kissed me deeply. I could feel the heat building between the two of us much like it had the night before. Before I knew it he was pulling away from me again, allowing me to get another breath of fresh air.

"Looks like your ride is on its way here poison. Call me later if you're feeling a little lonely tonight." By the time I opened my eyes he had his back to me, a hand raised in a sign of farewell as he swaggered his way back into his room just as I saw an older car pull up to the hotel. Mabel was sticking her head out her window with a huge grin on her face while Dipper drove, his hat obscuring part of his face but I could see he was smiling. "Are you ready?" Mabel asked me as I walked up and got in the back seat of the car.

"Oh I made you something by the way!" The excited girl threw a light yellow sweater that had my name sewn into the chest, looking up I noticed that Mabel was wearing a purple one with her name on it. "Thank you. It looks comfy." I smiled as Mabel turned around and grinned at me from the front seat. "It's so weird that we have a cousin the same age as us don't you think Dipper? But you sure have the Pines' signature good looks that's for sure! Oh and by the way we closed the whole shack down for the day and we are going to have a picnic! We have a couple of people we want you to meet as well, they know about Grunkle Ford so there's nothing to worry about there."

Dipper started the drive back towards the Mystery Shack, glancing at me from the rearview mirror. "You know I never noticed this hotel here before. Do you know if it's new?" I shook my head. "No, I met the owner he said his parent's ran it before they passed away and now he takes care of it. He's really nice." Mabel's eyes got really big, as if they came to a realization that I hadn't. "OOOOOO! You like him! Is he cute? What's he like? Spill it sister!" Mabel was practically jumping out of her seat with excitement and it made me blush.

"Well I don't really know him all that well but last night he bought me dinner and it was pretty awesome. I think he's pretty cute but there is something off about him that I can't quite put my finger on. It's weird being around him, it's like all the air in the room is gone when he's around me and I don't actually get a breath in until he's gone." Mabel's face looked like she was going to explode with emotion. "It must be love at first sight! Does he like you back? If you guys get married I am totally going to plan your wedding there's no doubt about that!" Dipper rolled his eyes as we pulled into the driveway and gently shoved his sister back into her seat.

"Slow your roll Mabel. She just met the guy and you're already talking about marriage? I know you're into the whole love at first sight fairy tale stuff but sometimes these things take time. So chill." Mabel puffed and rolled her eyes at her twin. As they pulled up I could see Grunkle Stan and my grandfather Stanford standing on the porch along with two other people that I hadn't seen before.

One was a redheaded girl wearing a green plaid shirt and a cap, and the other was a round guy wearing a shirt with a question mark on it. Getting out of the car I was greeted with several hellos from everyone. Mabel grabbed my hand and led me excitedly towards the new people who smiled at me happily. "This is Wendy and Soos. They both used to work here when Dipper and I were kids but they don't anymore. You guys this is my long lost cousin Mira. She's Grunkle Ford's granddaughter."

Wendy shook my hand and smiled at me. "Yo. What's up?" Next was Soos, who gave me a little salute, "Pleasure to meet you little Pine lady." I nodded before turning towards my grandfather who was calling for me. "Hey Pops. I brought my dad's things for you to look at." I handed over the journal and the photographs, noticing the little bit of watering in Stanford's eyes as I handed them over. "Thank you Mira. I'll be sure to get these back to you as soon as possible." I shook my head.

"Keep them as long as you want. I have the things that I want back at my hotel room, more personal things from my parents that I want to keep. You can have these." I was not expecting the hug that I suddenly found myself in but I returned the embrace with a smile. A second later we heard the snap of a camera to our right and we broke apart.

"It was just so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture!" Mabel giggled from behind the camera. "Dipper! Come here so we can take a picture together!" She called out to Dipper who was helping Stan with the grill. Pretty soon I was getting pictures with everyone, especially with Ford. Mabel was just adamant that I get as many photos as possible with him.

Right after eating Ford asked me to come sit next to him, away from the group that was playing tag with Mabel and her pet pig Waddles. "I want you to know that I never intended to leave your grandmother alone to raise your dad. I was just so caught up in my research that I was foolish and left behind the only thing that really matters and that's family." I nodded and looked at the surrounding forest. "It's ok. No hard feelings. But what was your research anyways? And why choose Gravity Falls of all places?" Ford sighed and looked all around us in the trees.

"There are a lot of strange things that happen out here. Creatures that we once thought were just myths roam deep inside the forest here. Most are harmless for the most part but there was one that caused a lot of havoc for us Pines here. It's another reason I wanted to speak to you alone." Ford grabbed a stick and drew in the dirt, a pyramid with a top hat and a single eye.

"This is a demon named Bill. He's a Trans dimensional demon who came through a rift I created a long time ago. I cannot stress enough to you the importance of you being careful of him. We haven't seen or heard from him in a long time so who knows what happened to him but I don't want anything to happen to you because you didn't know about him. He wants to use one of my experiments to bring about the destruction of our world and he's sneaky. He will trick you into thinking that he's your friend only to turn around and get rid of you the moment he's gotten what he wants. He can creep into your mind, make you feel things you've never felt before. He can possess people's bodies. Are you ok?" Ford placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me steady as I stared at the ground between my feet with wide eyes.

I felt sick to my stomach. "What exactly is it that he's done to you guys?" I whispered through lips that suddenly had gone dry. There was no hint of him lying to me in his tone or his posture. And why would he make something like that up to begin with? Besides, looking at the pyramid in the dirt with the hat and the single eye sent flashes of things that reminded me of all the strange things about Bill that I had noticed already.

"He's possessed Dipper, tried to kill us several times and has nearly destroyed the world before he made his disappearance. Why? What's wrong Mira? You look like you're going to pass out." I stood up suddenly, the urge to move was too strong for me to continue sitting. I began to pace back and forth, the pyramid with it's unblinking eye seeming to follow me around as I paced. "Mira? What's wrong? You can tell me." I shook my head, looking away from the drawing in the dirt with tears stinging my eyes. "Is it possible for the person he possessed to not know they've been possessed? Do you think that maybe they're like trapped and maybe he doesn't have full control of them?"

Ford stood and grabbed my shoulders with both hands, stopping me from pacing and forcing me to look at him to see the concern in his eyes. "I don't think so kiddo. You need to tell me what's going on right now. Do you know who he is?" I looked at him with mixed emotions on my face. "I think I do. I just thought he had a strange obsession with triangles and gold but he seemed so nice to me, even this morning when I saw him. He made me breakfast, he…" I trailed off and broke away from Ford's grip. His eyes were wide with shock.

"Do you know what he's planning?" He asked and shook my head. "I don't know anything but when I walked in on him in the kitchen this morning he seemed to be talking to himself. He said something about something being dangerous or not going according to some plan. He said he liked me a lot and he wanted something to go away, to shut up. Then when I made myself known he turned and I saw his eye glow a sort of gold color before it went away. I thought it must have been a trick of the light inside his place." I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and confusion.

"But he doesn't look like the pyramid. He's a person but he has an eye patch covering one eye and he wears a hat just like that. He was the one who dropped me off yesterday and picked me up. He said that you guys had some sort of beef with one another so that's why he couldn't be seen picking me up." I stared down at the drawing again and kicked at it's face, destroying the image of the eye staring at me.

Ford was silent as he came to stand beside me, the rest of the family seemingly oblivious to the discussion we were having. "I need some air. I'll be right back." I spoke, not listening to Ford as he called for me to come back, saying that it wasn't safe for me to go into the forest alone. But I couldn't stand still any longer. Running always helped me think, helped me get things in perspective when the rest of the world looked all confused and backwards. I could hear them calling for me but I didn't want to stop yet. I needed to run this off.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning I awoke alone in Bill’s large bed, bundled in his silk blankets. Looking around I could see that the door was opened a crack and I heard the sound of pans being moved around followed by the smell of breakfast. I got up and grabbed the robe that was laid out next to me, the soft velvety embrace smelling of Bill, walking out of the bedroom I grabbed my clothes from the foot of the bed, putting on my underwear in the process before heading towards the kitchen where I saw Bill leaning up against the counter, one eye staring into the distance.

 

 

There was a slight frown on his face and he seemed to be mouthing something under his breath. “Dangerous…not according to plan…poisonous to us…to you…really like her…kill…no…won’t do it…shut up…go away…” I knocked on the wall, startling Bill, his eye flashing gold for a split second again like it had the night before only to have it go back to normal. “Good morning little sleepy head. Sorry if I woke you. I thought it would be nice to serve breakfast for you.” He motioned for me to take a seat at the bar where there were two plates with a couple pancakes, bacon and eggs.

 

 

“Thank you. It looks awesome.” I sat down and he poured some orange juice into our glasses and took a seat next to me. “Did you sleep alright?” He asked between bites and I nodded. “Like a baby.” I smiled, trying to put what I had just seen out of my mind. Maybe I wasn’t hearing things right. We finished breakfast and I stood up to grab my other things that were folded neatly on the edge of the couch.

 

 

“Going somewhere darling dear?” Bill asked watching me. “Well I am in sore need of a shower and I haven’t unpacked or anything. Plus I have Dipper and Mabel coming to pick me up this afternoon so regretfully I must return to my own room for a while.” I smiled over my shoulder so he didn’t think I was being ungrateful. He stood and kissed my cheek. “Well then I suppose I can’t keep you here forever now can I? Such a shame.” He twirled a lock of my brown hair between his fingers idly as I stared up at him, unsure what to say.

 

 

“Let me know if you want to hang out after you get done with your cousins tonight. Now get going before I change my mind about letting you go.” He leaned down, our lips locking sweetly even though I could tell he wanted more as he gave my rear end a pat, following me out the door and watching as I entered my room.

 

 

I leaned heavily against the door once I was safely inside my own room. It felt as if this was the first time I had managed to get my breath of fresh air. Bill was a whirlwind that was for sure. Taking a deep breath I made my way into the bathroom and took a quick shower before getting dressed and starting to work on putting my things away into the drawers with my phone on the charger. Luckily Bill was being relatively quiet, giving me some space to relax without him. I sat on the couch and turned on the television as I finished putting my things away, my dad’s journal as well as some photos and random things that had belonged to my parents so that Stanford could take a look at them.

 

 

There wasn’t much on in Gravity Falls but it was a good way to pass the time. All of a sudden I got a ping on my cell phone. “Hiya! It’s a Mabel texting you to let you know that me and Dipper are headed your way! So get your pants on and lets partay!!” I smiled at the several sets of smiling emojiis that were following her message. I checked my hair and decided to wait for them outside. I locked up behind me and went to stand out in the sunlight. It wasn’t long before I noticed Bill coming outside with a bag of trash in his hand.

 

 

“Looking good there darling.” He wriggled his eyebrow at me and walked around the corner to put his trash in the garbage can before coming to stand in front of me, placing a hand above my head on the wall I was leaning against. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. “So will you be mine Mira?” I rolled my eyes a little and smiled up at him. “Persistent aren’t you? Ask me once you know me a little better and then we will see. I only just came to town yesterday in case you don’t remember. Speaking of, I still need to pay you for the room.” I went to reach for my wallet when my hand was trapped by his gloved fingers. “Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house for as long as you need it.” I looked at him with confusion.

 

 

“I couldn’t do that! That wouldn’t be fair to you!” Bill leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Then how about this. We can make a little deal. You come over for dinner whenever you’re not with your family and help me do the housekeeping in the other rooms here and you can stay here rent free.” He extended his gloved hand for me to shake it. “Do we have a deal?” I hesitated for a moment, going over the pros and cons of such a deal. Certainly I would enjoy not having to spend my money on a hotel, also spending time with Bill with a free dinner wouldn’t be so bad would it? I did like him a lot already and he was already swaying me to be willing enough to be called his.

 

 

“We’ve got a deal.” I reached and grasped his hand, a smile gracing his lips. “Good. Now let’s really seal the deal.” He pulled me into him, grabbed my chin and kissed me deeply. I could feel the heat building between the two of us much like it had the night before. Before I knew it he was pulling away from me again, allowing me to get another breath of fresh air. “Looks like your ride is on its way here poison. Call me later if you’re feeling a little lonely tonight.” By the time I opened my eyes he had his back to me, a hand raised in a sign of farewell as he swaggered his way back into his room just as I saw an older car pull up to the hotel.

 

 

Mabel was sticking her head out her window with a huge grin on her face while Dipper drove, his hat obscuring part of his face but I could see he was smiling. “Are you ready?” Mabel asked me as I walked up and got in the back seat of the car. “Oh I made you something by the way!” The excited girl threw a light yellow sweater that had my name sewn into the chest, looking up I noticed that Mabel was wearing a purple one with her name on it. “Thank you. It looks comfy.” I smiled as Mabel turned around and grinned at me from the front seat.

 

 

“It’s so weird that we have a cousin the same age as us don’t you think Dipper? But you sure have the Pines’ signature good looks that’s for sure! Oh and by the way we closed the whole shack down for the day and we are going to have a picnic! We have a couple of people we want you to meet as well, they know about Grunkle Ford so there’s nothing to worry about there.” Dipper started the drive back towards the Mystery Shack, glancing at me from the rearview mirror.

 

 

“You know I never noticed this hotel here before. Do you know if it’s new?” I shook my head. “No, I met the owner he said his parent’s ran it before they passed away and now he takes care of it. He’s really nice.” Mabel’s eyes got really big, as if they came to a realization that I hadn’t. “OOOOOO!!!! You like him! Is he cute? What’s he like? Spill it sister!” Mabel was practically jumping out of her seat with excitement and it made me blush.

 

 

“Well I don’t really know him all that well but last night he bought me dinner and it was pretty awesome. I think he’s pretty cute but there is something off about him that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s weird being around him, it’s like all the air in the room is gone when he’s around me and I don’t actually get a breath in until he’s gone.” Mabel’s face looked like she was going to explode with emotion. “It must be love at first sight! Does he like you back? If you guys get married I am totally going to plan your wedding there’s no doubt about that!” Dipper rolled his eyes as we pulled into the driveway and gently shoved his sister back into her seat.

 

 

“Slow your roll Mabel. She just met the guy and you’re already talking about marriage? I know you’re into the whole love at first sight fairy tale stuff but sometimes these things take time. So chill.” Mabel puffed and rolled her eyes at her twin. As they pulled up I could see Grunkle Stan and my grandfather Stanford standing on the porch along with two other people that I hadn’t seen before.

 

 

One was a redheaded girl wearing a green plaid shirt and a cap, and the other was a round guy wearing a shirt with a question mark on it. Getting out of the car I was greeted with several hellos from everyone. Mabel grabbed my hand and led me excitedly towards the new people who smiled at me happily. “This is Wendy and Soos. They both used to work here when Dipper and I were kids but they don’t anymore. You guys this is my long lost cousin Mira. She’s Grunkle Ford’s granddaughter.”  

 

 

Wendy shook my hand and smiled at me. “Yo. What’s up?” Next was Soos, who gave me a little salute, “Pleasure to meet you little Pine lady.” I nodded before turning towards my grandfather who was calling for me. “Hey Pops. I brought my dad’s things for you to look at.” I handed over the journal and the photographs, noticing the little bit of watering in Stanford’s eyes as I handed them over. “Thank you Mira. I’ll be sure to get these back to you as soon as possible.” I shook my head.

 

 

“Keep them as long as you want. I have the things that I want back at my hotel room, more personal things from my parents that I want to keep. You can have these.” I was not expecting the hug that I suddenly found myself in but I returned the embrace with a smile. A second later we heard the snap of a camera to our right and we broke apart. “It was just so cute I couldn’t resist taking a picture!” Mabel giggled from behind the camera. “Dipper! Come here so we can take a picture together!” She called out to Dipper who was helping Stan with the grill. Pretty soon I was getting pictures with everyone, especially with Ford. Mabel was just adamant that I get as many photos as possible with him.

 

 

Right after eating Ford asked me to come sit next to him, away from the group that was playing tag with Mabel and her pet pig Waddles. “I want you to know that I never intended to leave your grandmother alone to raise your dad. I was just so caught up in my research that I was foolish and left behind the only thing that really matters and that’s family.” I nodded and looked at the surrounding forest. “It’s ok. No hard feelings. But what was your research anyways? And why choose Gravity Falls of all places?” Ford sighed and looked all around us in the trees.

 

 

“There are a lot of strange things that happen out here. Creatures that we once thought were just myths roam deep inside the forest here. Most are harmless for the most part but there was one that caused a lot of havoc for us Pines here. It’s another reason I wanted to speak to you alone.” Ford grabbed a stick and drew in the dirt, a pyramid with a top hat and a single eye.

 

 

“This is a demon named Bill. He’s a Trans dimensional demon who came through a rift I created a long time ago. I cannot stress enough to you the importance of you being careful of him. We haven’t seen or heard from him in a long time so who knows what happened to him but I don’t want anything to happen to you because you didn’t know about him. He wants to use one of my experiments to bring about the destruction of our world and he’s sneaky. He will trick you into thinking that he’s your friend only to turn around and get rid of you the moment he’s gotten what he wants. He can creep into your mind, make you feel things you’ve never felt before. He can possess people’s bodies. Are you ok?” Ford placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me steady as I stared at the ground between my feet with wide eyes.

 

 

I felt sick to my stomach. “What exactly is it that he’s done to you guys?” I whispered through lips that suddenly had gone dry. There was no hint of him lying to me in his tone or his posture. And why would he make something like that up to begin with? Besides, looking at the pyramid in the dirt with the hat and the single eye sent flashes of things that reminded me of all the strange things about Bill that I had noticed already. “He’s possessed Dipper, tried to kill us several times and has nearly destroyed the world before he made his disappearance. Why? What’s wrong Mira? You look like you’re going to pass out.” I stood up suddenly, the urge to move was too strong for me to continue sitting.

 

 

I began to pace back and forth, the pyramid with it’s unblinking eye seeming to follow me around as I paced. “Mira? What’s wrong? You can tell me.” I shook my head, looking away from the drawing in the dirt with tears stinging my eyes. “Is it possible for the person he possessed to not know they’ve been possessed? Do you think that maybe they’re like trapped and maybe he doesn’t have full control of them?” Ford stood and grabbed my shoulders with both hands, stopping me from pacing and forcing me to look at him to see the concern in his eyes. “I don’t think so kiddo. You need to tell me what’s going on right now. Do you know who he is?” I looked at him with mixed emotions on my face.

 

 

“I think I do. I just thought he had a strange obsession with triangles and gold but he seemed so nice to me, even this morning when I saw him. He made me breakfast, he…” I trailed off and broke away from Ford’s grip. His eyes were wide with shock. “Do you know what he’s planning?” He asked and shook my head.

 

 

“I don’t know anything but when I walked in on him in the kitchen this morning he seemed to be talking to himself. He said something about something being dangerous or not going according to some plan. He said he liked me a lot and he wanted something to go away, to shut up. Then when I made myself known he turned and I saw his eye glow a sort of gold color before it went away. I thought it must have been a trick of the light inside his place.”

 

 

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and confusion. “But he doesn’t look like the pyramid. He’s a person but he has an eye patch covering one eye and he wears a hat just like that. He was the one who dropped me off yesterday and picked me up. He said that you guys had some sort of beef with one another so that’s why he couldn’t be seen picking me up.” I stared down at the drawing again and kicked at it’s face, destroying the image of the eye staring at me. Ford was silent as he came to stand beside me, the rest of the family seemingly oblivious to the discussion we were having.

 

 

“I need some air. I’ll be right back.” I spoke, not listening to Ford as he called for me to come back, saying that it wasn’t safe for me to go into the forest alone. But I couldn’t stand still any longer. Running always helped me think, helped me get things in perspective when the rest of the world looked all confused and backwards. I could hear them calling for me but I didn’t want to stop yet. I needed to run this off.


	7. Chapter 7

I don’t know how long I ran or how far but soon enough I was heading straight for a clearing in the woods where a flash of yellow caught my eye. I slowed down to look closer at what I already knew was there even though it shouldn’t have been there in the first place. There he was, leaning against his cane and looking in my direction as if he already knew that I would be coming there.

 

 

“Come on over little toxin. I already know that you’re there. I can hear your thoughts for miles away.” He called out to me but I didn’t want to go. I was suddenly terrified of him, his voice sounded different, his whole demeanor was different. “Looks like you need a little nudge in the right direction. Here let me help you out with that.” All of a sudden I felt as if my middle was being grabbed by a large hand, my body flying forward towards Bill without me having to move at all. “There we go. Now we can get this show on the road.” I tried to back away, I tried to move at all but I couldn’t. “Let me go!” I hissed at him but he only laughed as I struggled.

 

 

“Not going to happen. You see you have access to something I want and what I want I get.” Bill moved closer to me and I flinched away from him. “You lovely little Pines are always so interesting. So smart. Always giving me trouble and getting in my way. Pine tree, Shooting Star and the old men have already figured out their own ways of keeping themselves safe from me for the most part and I thought that we had come to a standstill till a thought occurred to me. In this dimension there just so happens to be a surprising little tidbit that I had overlooked. Do you know what that little tidbit was?” He leaned in close to me with a smug look on his face.

 

 

“You! Of course it was you! Little ole you, the lonely little branch that has been hanging around on the outskirts of the main tree just waiting for its chance to be part of the group. All I had to do was get you here at the right time which proved much easier than I thought.” Bill walked circles around me, his cane twirling idly around his wrist, that smug look on his face the whole time making me want to just punch it right off his mouth.  


 

 

“But what do you need me for anyways? And what about last night? Was that really necessary to get me here?” I glared at him, a new sense of hurt and feeling of being used starting to overwhelm me. Bill stopped and hung his head slightly, the smug look leaving his face. “That wasn’t part of the plan. Let’s just say there was a difference of opinion going on inside this little noodle of ours here.” I stared at him in confusion. Bill tapped the side of his head with his cane and looked at me from the corner of his eye.

 

 

“See, since the last time I came into contact with your family I’ve managed to change a few things up. I’m not limited to my pretty little triangular form anymore, I managed to figure out a way to make this body on my own with a little ingenuity. Couldn’t have them seeing me, ruining all my carefully laid out plans and whatnot.” Bill moved his hand and I found myself being forced to sit as he took a seat in front of me, long legs crossed.

 

 

“So to get back to my point, you came available so I gave you little nudges here, there a little bit of everywhere. I bet you’re wondering why I’m bothering telling you any of this aren’t you? Of course you are. I can read your thoughts.” He leaned in, a motion that I was forced to copy so that our faces were close to one another. “You are going to make a deal with me and as part of the deal you need to know certain things and yet not be able to speak about them to the other Pines.” I narrowed my eyes at him as sternly as I possibly could even though I could tell he wasn’t buying it one bit. “I’m not making any deal with you!” I growled through clenched teeth but Bill was unfazed.

 

 

“Oh you will. If you don’t I’ll kill everyone that’s out there searching for you right now. Can you hear how scared they are? Can you hear your grandpop calling your name, begging for you to come back? Your cousins?” The hush that seemed to have fallen over the area without me noticing lifted and I could hear the echoes of my relatives calling for me, the sound of their footsteps as they ran through the woods, searching for me, their voices full of concern.

 

 

“They love you deeply. Would probably risk their lives to get you back from my gloved hands if it came down to it and they would definitely fail in the long run. Do you want me to lead them here? Get it over with right now? I’m thinking after all the trouble they’ve caused me in the past I think a slow and gruesome demise would be the greatest way to go.” He lifted his hand as if he was about to snap his fingers.

 

 

“No! Don’t hurt them!” I begged on impulse much to Bill’s satisfaction, the smug look returning to his face. “Please don’t hurt them.” I looked at his raised hand, still poised to snap as though it were a gun pointed at my face, terror and dread in my heart.

 

 

“Then make my deal. I promise that no harm will come to them if you do what I want you to do.” I hesitated and he put pressure on his fingertips. “Ok! Just don’t hurt them! Please!” I felt tears stinging my eyes, a tear falling down my cheek. Bill smiled the smuggest grin I had ever seen, one finger reaching to touch the tear that was hanging on my chin. “Ah there we go now who said intimidation doesn’t get what you want. Ok so here’s the deal, you are going to get your grandfather’s journals, there are three of them and he keeps them with him at all times so how you get them is of no importance to me just as long as you get them. But I do know that he will notice them immediately if they go missing so you are going to use these to fool him, exact replicas of the real ones but they’re filled with gibberish.”

 

 

He flipped his hand over, a flash of blue flame revealed three worn books with gold six fingered handprints on their covers. “Why do you need the real ones if you can use the replicas?” I asked and Bill’s eye narrowed. “Because I need the real ones now quiet I’m not done talking. You also need to get this little ball of cool inky black stuff.” He waved his hand again and a little hologram like image appeared revealing a snow globe object filled with black liquid floating around inside of it.

 

 

“I’m not going to bother explaining what it is so don’t bother asking. And on top of all this I need your total devotion to me in this deal. And you can’t tell anybody about it. I’ll make it physically impossible for you to actually tell anyone so there’s no way you can let them know what I’m up to. I also need to erase your memory of this little discovery out of your head so you won’t cause trouble for me down the road.” My eyes widened in fear, tears streaming down my face freely now as I stared at him.

 

 

“Don’t worry it only stings a little and you’ll still have the basic plan in mind but you won’t really understand why you need to go through with it only that you know your family’s lives are at stake if you don’t do what you’re told.” He extended his hand to me, my arm becoming free at the same time so I could shake it. “And you promise not to hurt them in any way shape or form?” Bill nodded, his eye staring right through me.

 

 

“Deal.” He grabbed my hand and I instantly felt a sharp pain reverberate through my skull, taking the breath out of me, causing me to lean forward. “See you later my little toxin.” His voice echoed in the depths of my brain but when I looked up I couldn’t remember why I was kneeling on the ground, my hands splayed under me as I fought to catch my breath.

 

 

A drop of blood landed on my skin, followed by another and another. Reaching up I touched my face, a wetness under my nose told me that I was having a nose bleed. Why was my nose bleeding? Did something hit me? Why did my head hurt as though someone had hit me with a sledgehammer? Behind me I could hear my grandpa calling my name, crashing through the bushes. “Mira! Oh thank goodness I found you! Are you alright?” He asked as he came to kneel in front of me. It took me a moment to look away from the blood on my fingers and focus on him instead but when I did I could see the concern written all over his face.

 

 

“What happened?” I asked softly, looking around me and not remembering how I’d gotten there in the first place. I remembered running but I didn’t remember coming to this particular clearing. “You tell me. You and I were talking and then you seemed to get spooked and next thing I knew you were running off into the woods. Are you hurt? You’re bleeding.” He reached into one of his pockets and grabbed a cloth, holding it up to my nose and instructing me to tilt my head back slightly so he could help stop the bleeding.

 

 

“Did you get hit by something? Fall down? Are you hurt anywhere else?” He asked but after a quick check I decided that only my head hurt and I was having a nose bleed for some reason but couldn’t remember why. “I don’t remember. I don’t think I’m hurt anywhere else. Maybe I fell and hit my head. I’ve got a killer headache.” Ford brushed my hair away from my face and did a quick visual inspection of my status before moving my hand to hold the cloth to my nose.

 

 

“You probably tripped and hit your head then. You might have a slight concussion especially if you can’t remember anything that happened afterwards. I want you to stay here overnight so I can keep an eye on you.” He leaned in and kissed the top of my head. “Come on kiddo, let’s get you settled in for the night. No more running for you.” I let him help me up and we soon joined up with the rest of the group, all of them concerned for my wellbeing, each of them taking a look at my bloody nose and making sure I wasn’t hurt anywhere else before giving me a huge hug that seemed to last forever.

 

 

“What happened to you? Why’d you run off like that?” Dipper asked while Mabel sat behind me playing with my hair, running her fingers through the few tangles gently. “I was talking to Pops and he was telling me about…” I frowned as I tried to remember what it was we had been talking about but it was gone as if someone had taken a napkin and scrubbed it clean.

 

 

“I think he was telling about some of the stuff that goes on around here and I guess it freaked me out a bit so I ran.” I placed a hand on my forehead and tried to focus. It wasn’t what we were talking about I knew that. We were talking about something else but I couldn’t remember what it was. “I’m sorry for causing trouble.” Mabel stopped playing with my hair and hugged me from behind tightly as Dipper held my hand.

 

 

“We’re just glad you’re safe.” Dipper smiled at me as Mabel continued to hug me tight. “You get used to the weird stuff that happens around here. We’ve been dealing with this for a while now, we know how to deal with it. Even got a little manual.” Dipper winked as he brushed a hand through his brown hair, revealing the constellation of his namesake on his forehead for a second.

 

 

“You’ll have to show me that manual sometime then so I won’t be caught off guard when something freaky goes on.” I felt the words coming out of my mouth although I couldn’t understand the reasoning behind them. There was almost a need to see whatever it was Dipper was talking about. “Maybe sometime we will but for now I think we should just sit tight and hang out like regular cousins.” Mabel’s pet pig waddled over and sniffed my hand before making himself comfortable on my lap, a soft snoring coming from him shortly after.

 

 

“Aw! Would you look at that! Waddles loves you! Oh I have got to get a shot of this. It’s absolutely adorable!” Mabel shot off the couch I was leaning against to grab her phone. “She’s pretty eccentric isn’t she?” I chuckled looking after her, Dipper laughing as well. “Yeah. She’s pretty awesome. I wish more people were like her, including myself. Mabel’s always been so trusting and sweet and just plain pure. If there’s one thing I can count on in this world it’s Mabel always having my back.” I nodded and idly scratched behind Waddles’ ear.

 

 

“Must be nice to have a twin. There’s always someone there to talk to and deep down they understand even if they don’t agree with you all the time.” The words sounded sadder than I realized as Dipper looked at me with concern. “I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I wasn’t a twin.” He said softly as if that was supposed to comfort me but I shook my head. “You can’t miss something you’ve never had. Although I do have to say sometimes I feel like I’m missing a part of myself you know? Like there’s this whole other half of me that I’ve never been able to find. I like to think that if my twin had survived then maybe we would have been like you and Mabel.” I felt a vibration in my pocket just as Dipper turned away, saying that he had to go help Mabel find her phone.

 

 

I had clearly made him uncomfortable but something about Dipper made me want to confide in him. I supposed he was probably just one of those people you could tell anything to and he would understand. Looking at my phone I saw a message from Bill asking me if I was going to be joining him for dinner that night.

 

 

A little part of me wanted to throw the phone away and run but I didn’t know why. I had never been scared of Bill, had I? I shook my head, shaking off the strange feeling as part of the concussion and responded that I had decided to stay the night with the Pines instead and that I would be back in the morning to help out around the hotel like we had agreed upon this morning.

 

 

The rest of the afternoon went on relatively quiet, normal, unassuming. Although Ford kept coming to check to see how I was doing every hour or so, casting concerned glances when he thought I wasn’t looking and occasionally whispering to his brother about something that clearly caused them both unease. Finally it was time for bed which I was more than happy to welcome. “I’ll sleep down here on the couch and you can take my bed upstairs with Mabel if you want to.” Dipper offered and showed me upstairs after I had said good night to Stan and Ford.

 

 

“Oh it’ll be like a sleep over! We can gossip and have girl talk!” Mabel squealed happily as she helped Dipper set up where I would be sleeping. “Grunkle Ford said to not keep her up too late Mabel she did get a nasty hit on the head earlier today in case you’re forgetting.” Dipper came in for a side hug, squeezing my shoulders gently for a second before saying goodnight and going back downstairs. Once he was gone Mabel zoned in on me, forcing me to sit next to her on her bed.

 

 

“Ok so now that we are all alone you have got to tell me about this guy that you like. I need you to spill all the dirty little secrets to me!” I flushed as I thought of Bill back at the hotel, wondering what he was doing wandering around his house. “Well what do you want to know about him?” Mabel’s eyes became almost predatory as she delved in headfirst.

 

 

“What’s his name? How old is he? Have you kissed yet? Held hands? Does he have any pets? What’s his favorite color? And stop me if this gets too personal but have you, you know? Done the deed? If so I swear there is no judgement here I just want to know since I have some questions about that whole mess of my own. So go!”

 

 

I blushed deep red. “Well his name is Bill, but I think it might be short for something else like William or whatever. He’s nineteen, we have kissed, held hands. He doesn’t have any pets that I know of. I’m thinking his favorite color is maybe yellow. And yes to the last question.” Mabel looked at me for a second with shock only to change it back to her normal happy self. “What was it like?” She asked, leaning forward closer to me with her chin resting in her hands.

 

 

“Well, it was good. Amazing actually. It was like he knew exactly where to touch, to kiss in order to make me feel so great. I felt as if I was burning on the inside and at any second I would just burst into flames; and I wouldn’t care if I did. I needed him. Every part of my body physically ached for him and he knew just how to take care of that need.” I gazed through the triangular window with a soft smile on my face while Mabel stared at me with wide eyes.

 

 

“I don’t know what it is about him but I think I really like him. Even though he kind of scares me at the same time and I can’t figure out why. It’s not like he has done anything I didn’t want him to and he’s been nothing but nice to me. What do you think?” I asked Mabel whose eyes were slightly teary looking at me. “It’s true love. It’s supposed to be scary and it sounds like you might’ve found what I’ve been looking for like my whole life.” She came and hugged me tightly.

 

 

“You need to go for it Mira. He could be the one for you! Does he make you feel whole?” I thought for a moment and realized that he did indeed make me feel as if the hole that I had had since I was born was filled whenever I was with him. “Yeah. He does.” Mabel rubbed my back comfortingly. “Good. Then what could be the harm in just accepting how you feel? Just go for it.” I nodded and grabbed my phone out of my pocket, setting it on the desk in between Mabel’s and Dipper’s beds while I changed out of my clothes.

 

 

Mabel was scrolling through my photos on my phone by the time I finished getting changed and had turned back around. “Is this him? Good god he’s good looking!” She turned the phone around to show a picture of Bill shirtless laying seductively on the couch. “I don’t remember taking that photo. He must’ve taken that this morning while I was still asleep.”

 

 

I looked at the photo and took my phone back from her as I sat on Dipper’s bed. “Either way kudos to you girl! He is a good looking hunk of meat and I need to know if he has any equally hot siblings or relatives that are single and ready to mingle with lil ole me!” The two of us shared a laugh before settling in for the night in our beds. I closed my eyes and was shortly off in dreamland.

 

 

_The skies were dyed a deep red as I looked around the forest. It wasn’t natural. I could hear a crackling sound in the distance but I couldn’t see the source as the scent of burning wood filled my nostrils. The forest was on fire. I looked down and saw that I was carrying a small bag that was heavy in my arms. The dream went in slow motion as I felt the need to run away from the flames that had suddenly come into view._

 

 

_The world went blurry as if I was running in an oil painting and I clutched the bag to my chest as if my life depended on it. Whatever was inside was important. I could hear a sound of distant screaming, the sound distorted and filled with agony. Looking in front of me I could see a shape curled up on the ground but I knew who it was even before I came close to him. Dipper’s hat lay on it’s side having fallen off of his head as he fell to the ground. My chest tightened, my eyes watered, and I was just so hot. Looking at Dipper’s face I couldn’t help but be terrified of the gruesome sight._

 

 

I shot out of bed with a gasp, beads of sweat clutched to my skin. Looking over at Mabel I noticed that she was sound asleep, mouth open and snoring softly. I shook my head, my heart racing in my chest so fast I felt it might fall right out of my chest. I decided I needed some air as I got up and headed back downstairs quietly. Looking into the living room I saw Dipper asleep on the couch peaceful and certainly unscathed compared to what I had seen in my nightmare. I walked outside the screen door and took in a deep breath of cool night air.

 

 

“Mira?” I jumped at the sound of Ford saying my name. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!” Ford rubbed the back of his neck apologetically, a cup of tea in his weathered hands as I attempted to get my pulse under control. “What are you doing up? It’s late and you should be asleep.” I took several deep breaths as I tried to calm myself down. “I had a nightmare. And you should be asleep too old man.” I grumbled, suddenly agitated. He chuckled and pat the seat next to him on the bench for me to sit.

 

 

“As you get older you suddenly lose the ability to sleep like a normal person. Do you want to talk about your dream?” I sat next to him and shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was relive my nightmare, especially to my grandfather. “I just want to forget about it.” I watched as Ford nodded his head slowly, his eyes looking inward as he thought about something. “We all have dreams we would much rather forget. But I wanted to talk to you alone. I wanted to apologize for scaring you the way I did today.” I shrugged and ran a hand through my hair, staring up at the stars above us.

 

 

“It wasn’t your fault I freaked out the way I did. It was just a lot to process all at once and I think better when I run.” Ford gave a sigh of relief. “But there’s also something else I want you to do for me. I need you to stay away from Bill. You are more than welcome to stay here. It’s well protected and you never have to worry about it again.” I looked at him in confusion. “Excuse me? Bill isn’t dangerous. He’s a little strange but he isn’t anything for me to be protected from.” Ford looked at me with a confused frown.

 

 

“But earlier…you said…” I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “Forget what I said earlier. I was mistaken and drawing conclusions to things that I just couldn’t understand at the time. Thank you but I’ve been able to handle myself in pretty much all situations alone since my parents died.” It was more harsh than I’d intended but my grandpa seemed able to handle it. He was silent for several moments as he processed everything.

 

 

“I’m positive you can handle quite a lot but still, I want you to be extremely careful. There are still plenty of things here that you don’t understand and strange happenings around here especially since we don’t know where Bill is hiding or what he is planning.”  Ford came over and placed a strong hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Please feel free to let us know whenever you feel like you are in trouble. We’re family after all and we love you very much. If it ever gets too much then we will always have a place here for you.”

 

 

I nodded slowly and turned to look out at the night sky, a small sense of dread crawling through my veins making me feel cold inside. I knew there was something off about me, my mind felt violated somehow but I didn’t want to worry Ford any more than I already had today so I stayed silent about what I was really feeling.

 

 

“Thank you. You know since I plan on sticking around you should start giving me some tips on how to deal with the strange stuff that you all say happens around here you know? Keep me safe when I’m not around you guys to back me up.” Ford’s eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion but I maintained my innocent demeanor in spite of the nagging feeling that there was something odd about me saying anything about the subject.

 

 

“We’ll see. Now this old man is going to head to bed and you should too. Good night kiddo.” He ruffled my hair affectionately as he turned into the house to go to bed leaving me outside alone. I sat on the edge of the porch, feet hanging off the ledge as I stared up at the stars.

 

 

My mind went back to Bill, thinking about him put me on edge but also a slew of other emotions like anger, fear, desire, confusion, just to name a few. Putting a hand to my head I felt a little flushed. “Looks like I caught me some gold fever.” I murmured to myself for reasons unknown to me as I shook my head. There was no way I was going to get any sleep tonight I thought as I continued my gaze up in the night sky quietly.


End file.
